Hull fans defiant against owner Assem Allam who says supporters can die as they want

Hull City fans chanted “we are Hull City, we’ll die when we want” as they hosted Liverpool this afternoon, after opinionated owner Assem Allam said supporters protesting against a name change
can die as soon as they want.

The Egyptian-born
businessman previously courted controversy after he dropped the words
Association Football Club from the club’s full name, before informing supporters
he intended to rebrand the club Hull Tigers.

Speaking to The Independent
about supporters who have protested against the alteration by unfurling a
banner with the words ‘City till I die’ at recent games, he said: “I don’t mind
‘City till we die’. They [the fans] can die as soon as they want, as long as
they leave the club for the majority who just want to watch good football.

“How can they call
themselves fans, these hooligans, this militant minority, when they disturb and
distract the players while taking away the rights of others to watch the
football, and of companies who have paid good money for all their
advertising?

“I’m a simple man. Do they
want me to stay? If it’s ‘No thank you’, fine in 24 hours the club is up for
sale, I do not put in one more pound and hopefully things happen quickly.”

Allam, in a previous
interview with the Guardian said: “City, Town, County: these [names] are
meaningless. In marketing the shorter the name the more powerful - think of
Coca Cola, Twitter, Apple. If I were the owner of Manchester City I would
change the name to Manchester Hunter – you need power. In time I would suggest
names for all the clubs called City, but I do not have the time.”